The present application relates to a semiconductor structure and a method of forming the same. More particularly, the present application relates to a semiconductor structure including an electrostatic discharge (ESD) device integrated on the same semiconductor substrate as semiconductor fin field effect transistors (FinFETs), and a method of forming such a structure.
For more than three decades, the continued miniaturization of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) has driven the worldwide semiconductor industry. Various showstoppers to continued scaling have been predicated for decades, but a history of innovation has sustained Moore's Law in spite of many challenges. However, there are growing signs today that metal oxide semiconductor transistors are beginning to reach their traditional scaling limits. Since it has become increasingly difficult to improve MOSFETs and therefore complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) performance through continued scaling, further methods for improving performance in addition to scaling have become critical.
The use of non-planar semiconductor devices such as, for example, silicon fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) is the next step in the evolution of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. Silicon fin field effect transistors (FETs) can achieve higher drive currents with increasingly smaller dimensions as compared to conventional planar FETs.
In FinFET technology, there is a need for providing on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) devices along with the FinFET devices. Conventional Fin-type ESD devices have the drawback of poor heat dissipation do to narrow fins. Building ESD devices on a larger planar region will address the heat dissipation issue, but it comes with the drawback of consuming a large area of the structure.
In view of the above, there is a need for providing a semiconductor structure including FinFETs, and an ESD device integrated on a same substrate in which the ESD device circumvents the problems associated with prior art ESD devices.